Oven door structure



June 15, 1965 G. c. PEARCE ETAL 3,189,019

OVEN DOOR S'TRUOTUR'E Original Filed March 31. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.

June 15, 1965 G. C. PEARCE ETAL OVEN DOOR STRUCTURE Origina l Filed March 31. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 4

United States Patent 3,189,019 OVEN DOOR STRUCTURE George C. Pearce, Dayton, Jesse L. Evans, Tipp City,

Millard E. Fry, Dayton, and Frank L. Milburn, Bellhrook, Ohio, assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Original application Mar. 31, 1960, Ser. No. 19,081, now Patent No. 3,157,175, dated Nov. 17, 1964. Divided and this application Aug. 31, 1962, Ser. No. 221,403 3 Claims. (Cl. 126-190) This invention relates to a domestic appliance and more particularly to an improved free-standing countertop cooking range having a built-in appearance and is a division of our .copending application Serial No. 19,081, filed March 31, 1960, now Patent 3,157,175.

lhe trend toward built-in appliance has caused much of the range industry to divide the integral free-standing range into its components and to market these components separately. This trend has separated the cooking top from the oven. But it is Well known that manufacturing and installation economies can be eflected by combining the various cooking operations into a s ngle unit. Therefore it is to the incorporation of built-in features in an integral free-standing range that the present invention is directed.

This invention also contemplates a novel oven door construction comprised of a one piece rear panel wrapper having an integral inner door reinforcement section, an outer panel overlying this reinforcement section to complete the door.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of the oven door with parts broken away;

FIGURE 2 is aside elevation-a1 view of the oven door with parts broken away;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional View taken along line 3-3 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional View taken along line '155 in FIGURE 1 showing the bottom door seal.

The construction of the oven door 24 will now be explained with reference to EJGURES 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Best seen in FIGURE 2, the door 24 is comprised of a front or outer door panel member 60 and a rear or inner door panel member 62. Note that the rear panel 62 is formed in a folded box-like shape with forwardly extending top and bottom walls -64 and .66 respectively which are again folded to terminate .in internal reinforcing wall portions 68 and 70. The ends of the reinforcing portions 68 and 70 are shown as outwardly turned terminal ilanges 7-2 and 74 which lie in juxtaposition to each other and are connected in any suitable fashion, such as by pinch welding. Thus, an integral reinforcing boxlike structure forms both the inner door panel 62 and the internal reinforcement for the door 24. The

front or outer door panel 60 is drawn into a shallow open-top box-like shape having a peripheral edge flange 76 for receiving the inner door panel 62 in nested relationship. The bottom flange portion 78 of the peripheral edge llange 76 cooperates with the bottom wall 66 of the inner door panel 62 to retain a door mounted oven seal :80 (FIGURE 5).

As best seen in FIGURE 3, the front door panel 60 is assembled to the rear door panel 62 by means of tour ice bolts &2 ,which extend into engagement with U-shaped brackets 84 fastened as by welding to the inner side of the front door panel 60. The bolts 82 extend through a U-haped door support channel 8'6 interlocked or telesc-opingly engaged with each side of the inner door panel 62 and connect with a sheet metal fiastener '63 to lock the inner door panel 62 and the outer door panel 60 in assembled relationship. An L-shaped control arm retainer 88 is also included in the assembly and serves to retain an upper control arm 90 and lower control arm 94 pivotally connected to the right-hand side of the door 24. Each control arm such as 90 is relatively pivotally positioned on a bushing such as 92 which is securely fastened as by welding to the door support channel 86. Note that the outer flange of the retainer 88 is spaced from the support channel 86 to form a cavity 93'to receive the upper control arm 90 and the lower control arm 94 when the door 24 is in its closed position. In order to preclude any rubbing or scraping noise the control arms may be coated with an elastomeric product such as nylon. By concealing the support arrangement when the door is closed, the overall appearance of the product is enhanced. It should of course be recognized that the support arrangement is identical for both sides of the oven door 24. The foregoing explanation for the right-hand side of the door will sufii-ce for the support arrangement on the left-hand side. Note also that the oven of this invention could be provided with a glass or transparent panel door of the type taught in our copending application Serial No. 19,082 filed March 31, 1960, now Patent 3,157,176.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. An oven door adapted to be carried on supporting means comprising; an outer door panel including a pcripheral flange and an attachment bracket; an inner door panel in nested relationship with said peripheral flange; said inner door panel formed of a tolded single sheet of metal having a first wall portion, a second :wall portion in juxtaposition to said peripheral flange and extending normal to said first wall portion, and a third wall portion in parallel spaced relationship to said first wall portion and interposed between said first wall portion and said outer door panel for reinforcing said door; a U-shaped door support channel in snugly nested engagement with said first and third wall portions; and means adapted for concealing said supporting means including a bushing member aflixed to said door support channel between said inner door panel and said peripheral flange and adapted for pivotally engaging said supporting means, and an L-sh-aped retainer member having one leg afiixed to said inner door panel along said third wall portion and another leg overlying said bushing member and adapted to retain said supporting means on said bushing; and fastening means cooperating with said attachment bracket and adapted for assembling said supporting means, said inner and outer door panels, said door sup- .port channel and said bushing member and said retainer member.

2. The oven door of claim 1 including a seal retainably nested between said peripheral flange and the second wall portion of the inner door panel.

3. The oven door of claim 1 wherein said third wall portion is comprised of internal reinforcing sections of said inner door panel, said reinforcing sections having terminal flanges at right angles thereto and in juxtaposed, connect-ed relationship to each other.

(References on following page) 4 0 References Cited by the Examiner 2,483,968 10/49 Ecklund 110176 D Swerman UNITE S ATES 2,889,825 6/59 Evans 126--198 1,773,049 8/30 'q- 2,979,053 4/61 Crisp s11 et a1. 126194 5 3,015,125 1/62 Curtis 16-82 2 313 582 3/43 R eeg ffii l 126 194 JAMES WESTHAVER Pfimary Exami'ler- 2,378,421 6/45 McCormick 126-494 FREDERICK L. MATTESON, 111.,

2,438,035 3/48 'Buhman, et a1. 126198 PERCY L. PATRICK, Examiners. 

1. AN OVEN DOOR ADAPTED TO BE CARRIED ON SUPPORTING MEANS COMPRISING; AN OUTER DOOR PANEL INCLUDING A PERIPHERAL FLANGE AND AN ATTACHMENT BRACKET; AN INNER DOOR PANEL IN NESTED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID PERIPHERAL FLANGE; SAID INNER DOOR PANEL FORMED OF A FOLDED SINGLE SHEET OF METAL HAVING A FIRST WALL PORTION, A SECOND WALL PORTION IN JUXTAPOSITION TO SAID PERIPHERAL FLANGE AND EXTENDING NORMAL TO SAID FIRST WALL PORTION, AND A THIRD WALL PORTION IN PARALLEL SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO SAID FIRST WALL PORTION AND INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID FIRST WALL PORTION AND SAID OUTER DOOR PANEL FOR REINFORCING SAID DOOR; A U-SHAPED DOOR SUPPORT CHANNEL IN SNUGLY NESTED ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FIRST AND THIRD WALL PORTIONS; AND MEANS ADAPTED FOR CONCEALING SAID SUPPORTING MEANS INCLUDING A BUSHING MEMBER AFFIXED TO SAID DOOR SUPPORT CHANNEL BETWEEN SAID INNER DOOR PANEL AND SAID PERIPHERAL FLANGE AND ADAPTED FOR PIVOTALLY ENGAGING SAID SUPPORTING MEANS, AND AN L-SHAPED RETAINER MEMBER HAVING ONE LEG AFFIXED TO SAID INNER DOOR PANEL ALONG SAID THIRD WALL PORTION AND ANOTHER LEG OVERLYING SAID BUSHING MEMBER AND ADAPTED TO RETAIN SAID SUPPORTING MEANS ON SAID BUSHING AND FASTENING MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID ATTACHMENT BRACKET AND ADAPTED FOR ASSEMBLING SAID SUPPORTING MEANS, SAID INNER AND OUTER DOOR PANELS, SAID DOOR SUPPORT CHANNEL AND SAID BUSHING MEMBER AND SAID RETAINER MEMBER. 